In “Princess Cultures: Mediating Girls’ Imaginations and Identities,” hitting bookshelves in May, two university professors explore the prevalence and contradictions of princesses as childhood role models in the United States and abroad.
Miriam Forman-Brunell, one of the co-authors and a professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, has a somewhat subversive view of princess culture.
“Sometimes, it’s about power,” she said. “It’s not always about being a pretty girl or a good girl or playing out traditional gender roles. Sometimes it’s about having confidence, being confident and taking control.”